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Novelists! Consider Voice,
by Marisa D'Vari

Congratulations, novelists and screenwriters!
You finished your novel or screenplay, but before you send
it off to your agent or publisher, consider voice in dialogue.

Each character should have their own "tag" - a way of
speaking that identifies them as the speaker before a reader
even reads his or her name. This is voice in dialogue.

When you think about it, people speak within
the reference of these parameters:

Geographical location (i.e. "valley girl/guy way of speaking")

Educational level

Personal way of expressing themselves

Slang (especially revealing if used post teen-age years)

Occupation

Wait! Occupation!

Does that surprise you? In a seminar I led today, a novelist/
screenwriter spoke about his character, who was in the military.

As such, he'd have a rather unique way of viewing the world. Instead
of saying:

"I'd go for that" this particular character would probably say

"I'll shoot for that." This character's reference point would be

the world of guns and defense, and he'd think in these terms.

Mystery writers are often so caught up in the whodunit aspect

of their story they forget the importance dialogue plays in your story.

It's the reader's only real clue as to the personality and characteristics

of your protagonist and other characters.
Think of it this way. When you see an actor speak on screen,

you hear the words as the author intended them, albeit through

the actor's and director's interpretation of who that character is.

But when you read words on the page, they have to be sharp and

powerful enough to achieve that same impact to capture the

reader's attention. Washed out, wimpy exchanges will have

he reader or executive tossing the script before the tenth page.

So, then, how do you make your character's words sparkle on the page?

By making them real.
When I read mysteries, I use dialogue as one of the first barometers to
gage a writer's level of professionalism.

What is great dialogue?
When a character says something in a fresh, clever way;

When characters express a unique sense of humor;

When the words are so crisply suited to each individual character
in the story one can tell who's speaking without looking at the character's name.

Now that you see the need to polish your dialogue, how do you get started?

By observation!
Characters need to sound real but real people do not speak in complete,
formal sentences. Go to a public place, such as a mall or outdoor café, and
listen to the way that people actually converse. More important, notice the
differences in the way people talk.

Listen to:

A teen-age couple madly in love;

Construction workers as they shoot the breeze and eat their sandwiches;

Teenage girls at their favorite cosmetics store;

A tired mother with her children;

Tourists marveling at sites you've seen since childhood;

An couple who seem miserable with each other;

A pack of skateboarding boys.
While you should take note of the cadence of their speech, their slang,
and their unstructured, informal tone, do not pay attention to content.

You're a writer.

You're the "god" that gives your characters not only life, but direction.

Every word that your characters say needs to fit a specific purpose.

Simply moving the story forward isn't enough.

It must also reveal nuances of their character, reveal a tiny bit of
their backstory, and
suggest their relationship to the character they're speaking with.

In every relationship, there's someone who leads and who follows.

When two contemporaries of either sex are speaking, one always
has it slightly over the other.

The next time you see two such individuals conversing, take careful note.
Who has the upper hand?
How is it articulated?

Through tone of voice or through something they seem to exude?

And, if this is the case, imagine how you'd describe it on paper.

Believable dialogue is crucial to the success of your mystery.

Your fans need to know how to "type" your characters, and you need to
convey this information through your characters dialogue as much as their actions!

The adage, it's not "what you say" but "how you say it" has never been more true!